No Sleep for the Wicked
by DeeDee7178
Summary: In a country where there's no freedom and oppression rules, the members of Fairy Tail are rebels who will get help from the most unexpected source. I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING RELATING TO FAIRY TAIL, OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS, IT ALL BELONGS TO ITS AUTHOR HIRO MASHIMA.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

She was trying to get the beat, but her movements were too calculated, too stiff. She definitely had the counts, the steps, and the position, but she lacked the attitude. Hip hop was meant for the confident, for those with attitude, and an in your face sexiness she had never had, did not presently have, and which she was sure she would never possess. She went through the choreography once more, and made faces in the mirror trying to mimic the video vixens. Levy McGarden laughed at how ridiculous she looked trying to mirror a fake sexiness that was definitely not her. That got her thinking, dance was supposed to be a representation of the person. Dancing had to be honest, that had always been her motto. She stopped the track and looked through her phone contacts, until she found Laxus' phone number. While they were mere acquaintances, he had never been completely hostile with her and they had exchanged phone numbers at the last party he had deejayed. If there was someone that could help her find a silly, funny, hip hop song it was Laxus. His music collection rivaled her book collection in depth and volume.

Without thinking too much about it, so her shyness wouldn't kick in, she texted him.

 _You: Hey, it's Levy. Do you think you can help me find an upbeat and silly hip hop song?_

 _Laxus: Sure. By when do you need it?_

 _You: Sometime by Friday. I'm trying to choreograph for a competition next month, and I'm having a major inspiration block._

 _Laxus: You can pass by the studio on Friday night, bring sexy friends as payment. Big boobs required._

 _You: I can pass by on Friday, and we all know you're going out with Mira so save the bravado for someone else ;p_

 _Laxus: Sigh… whatever._

 _You: I'll ask Mira, Cana, and Lucy if they want to tag along. How does that sound?_

 _Laxus: Like hell._

Levy laughed at the exchange, everyone knew Laxus had carried a torch for Mira for years before she even gave him a second glance. She immediately texted the girls and they all said they would go. Levy had the feeling that her research session was going to turn into another infamous "Fairy Tail" party. She sighed, at the last party they had all drank too much and the gang had thrashed Cana's apartment, which they had to clean and fix the next day, under the supervision of a very angry Erza. She knew if the studio suffered the same faith, Laxus would kill them all. She packed her things and walked out of the dance studio. It was late and even though it was only early October, it was already bitterly cold. She thought about school, her competitive dance team, her gang, and smiled. Life was pretty good and her applications to college were already filled out and sent. She hoped that she would at least make it past the first cut and get to the auditions. She wasn't only applying to dance institutes, but to the local university as well, which luckily for her had a strong dance and arts programs. Magnolia as the most rebellious and financially independent city in Fiore, still had some of the things the whole country had had before Coronel's Acnologia's coupe d'etat. Acnologia's tyranny had started five years before. The coup d'etat had been barely violent, and he had unseated an immensely unpopular candidate, after one of the closest elections in country had been divided in two and Acnologia with the help of Zeref had taken advantage of it. At sixteen Levy was deeply involved in politics due to the fact that her father had been a top advisor to the now defunct Liberty party. Her father, her mother, she missed them dearly. The pain as fresh as six years ago. Immersed in her thoughts she failed to notice that a tall shadow had followed her from the studio all the way to her apartment, and stayed watching for some time after she had made it past the doors of the Fairy Tail Girls' Dormitories.

By Thursday night, the little get together had increased to more than ten people. Now the complete list was: Lucy, Cana, Mira, Jet, Droy, Natsu, Gray, Juvia, Erza, Jellal, Lisanna, Elfman, and of course Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen, and all the people they would probably decide to invite. If she had any hope of getting the songs she needed, she would have to get there before everyone else. She rubbed her shoulder where the house's symbol was tattooed and smiled, they weren't a gang, they were a family. Levy had lost her parents at the tender age of ten, because she had no other family she had been placed in a group house in the city of Magnolia. No one knew the official name of the group home after the military had taken over, but everyone called it by it's old name "Fairy Tail."

She knew how lucky she had been at being placed there, the house was maintained by Makarov Dreyar, a wealthy magnate that sought to give back by offering disadvantaged youths a safe place, specially in a country that did not tolerate anyone with a rebellious spark. The night was cold, but she took out her phone to look at her calendar and hoped she didn't have too much homework due the next day. It didn't help that everyone at Fairy Tail was in the same high school, and shared most classes, it usually meant they all wanted to talk instead of giving her the quiet she need to complete her assignments. Even though she was younger than everyone, they were all in the same grade. She had advanced two grades, and half of her classes were currently at university level. That made her the runt, the little sister everyone protected. Yet, she was still the most responsible one out of the whole group, she shook her head at the memory of having to bail out Gray, who was only wearing boxers, and Natsu who was full of soot, after he had accidentally caused a small fire at an abandoned building. She had never asked the boys what in the world they were doing that required fire and nudity, because she honestly did not want to find out.

They had all tattooed the house's insignia somewhere in their bodies and it just felt right to do so. It was the only tattoo she had, and she somehow knew it was the only one she would ever have. She had often wondered why she was so loyal to Fairy Tail. It probably had to do with the fact that thanks to Fairy Tail she had been able to keep dancing. Levy had been dancing since she could remember, her mother had been a dancer, and her father a political science professor and a government advisor. She always felt like a combination of both, and her dream was to be a dance professor at the Magnolia university dance program, it was like the perfect merging of her parent's spirits. But now she needed a damn hip hop song to choreograph for the upcoming competition and her lovely family wasn't going to get in the way of that. She turned off her lights and as she fell asleep she knew that the reason why she was so loyal was really because though she had lost her parents, she ended up in a place where she had found siblings. Outside her window the same tall figure as a few days before watched her room even after the lights had gone out.

Levy was cracking up the whole time with Laxus, he had pulled more than thirty tracks for her to listen and choose from. From Eminem, Redman, Beastie Boys, Ice-Cube, Biggie, Kanye West, Ludacris, Run-D.M.C., Afroman, to artist she had never heard of like Suga Free, ItstheReal, Bloodhound Gang, and Lil Dicky. And according to Laxus, she had to include "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie, "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugar Hill Gang, and the fact that Laxus had actually told her to include "I'm on a Boat" by the Lonely Island almost made her pee her pants with laughter. When everyone had gotten to the studio they had played all the songs and even voted. Everyone was rolling on the floor laughing with "Ya Mama" by The Pharcyde, but Levy honestly thought it was one of the dumbest songs she had ever heard. Everyone made fun of her for liking "Parents Just Don't Understand" by the Fresh Prince, and the "Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground. They had had a great time, and now she had multiple songs to splice and choreograph to.

The night had been perfect, especially since she had managed to slip out when people started partnering, which saved her the trouble of turning down Jet and Droy, again. They had been her best friends since her first week at Fairy Tail, and she could only see them as brothers. Which was a feeling she felt towards all of the Fairy Tail males. In the six years she had known them she had never been interested in anyone from Fairy Tail romantically, whether male or female. She wasn't a complete saint, she had dated Hibiki for a few months, but they were more reading buddies than anything else, all their dates had always ended up with going to a bookstore and reading for hours on end without speaking to each other. Levy guessed that if she told Lucy that she and Hibiki had only kissed twice in the months they had "dated" she would laugh uncontrollably at her naivete and complete lack of romantic interest. Even romantic novels made her blush, she still remembered the first time she had read one of the smut novels Erza loved, her hair had almost caught on fire from how red hot she had blushed at the sex scenes. Levy had really thought her ears were going to blister from how hot they got whenever the protagonists hooked up. She knew she should worry more about her dating life, since all the other girls seemed so intent on it, but she honestly didn't care. Romance was not what she was focused on right now. Maybe college would be an eye opener, and boys, or girls, would finally get her juices flowing, literally. Maybe sex would stop being such an embarrassing topic for her. She put on her headphones and started going through the tracks she liked the most, as she walked she choreographed, because the streets were empty every now and then she would find herself dancing, hip hopping around like a bunny. She laughed the moment the thought came to her mind, and she wondered if she could introduce it into the choreography somehow, a bunch of bunnies hopping to hip hop.

…

Gajeel Redfox's headphones were also pumping hip hop into his ears but he wasn't listening to the light hearted spectrum of the genre that Levy was listening to. His ears were being assaulted by the angry, and violent lyrics of N.W.A. He identified with the lyrics. Since the age of thirteen his life had revolved around, guns, drugs, alcohol, and most of all violence. It hadn't always been like that, the fact he had a last name was evidence of a different life, but that felt as though it could have been centuries ago. Gajeel was also an orphan, abandoned by his father at the age of thirteen. He never knew his mother. When his father first left, Gajeel spent a few months on the streets, stealing in order to survive. Once he got caught, the state took custody over him and placed him into a juvenile facility for a few months until a group home decided to accept him. He ended at the group home, nicknamed "Phantom Lord", a violent and cold place. It's head, Jose Porla, was one nasty piece of work. He pretended he was helping disadvantaged youths with criminal records straighten up their lives, when in reality he was using the children in the group home to commit all sorts of crimes that benefited him financially. Gajeel knew Jose had ties with the government, and the stunts they pulled weren't unknown to them, but he was not going to ask, because it was dangerous and he honestly could have cared less. Jose had seen a lot of potential in Gajeel, due to his size, and his even larger anger issues. Gajeel had arrived to Phantom Lord swinging. From the first month he was one of the most feared boys. Now he was Jose's most powerful fighter, in the illegal boxing matches they held for gambling purposes, and whenever there was a big heist. Gajeel's second in command, and only friend, was Juvia. Juvia was one of the scariest and most powerful people Gajeel had ever known. While she had only been in Phantom Lord three years, she had raised through the ranks by wit, sneakiness, and physical prowess, she was a better fighter than most people Gajeel had ever fought. She was also honest, did not try to suck up to Gajeel, and for some reason she didn't fear him. Somehow they had found in each other a sibling kinship they didn't have with anyone else. Juvia was currently keeping track of the blonde girl named Lucy, while he kept track of the bluenette named, if he remembered correctly Levy, a ridiculous name which somehow fit the ridiculously happy slip of a girl dancing in the middle of dark streets like a moron. Jose wanted both girls kidnapped, for reasons Gajeel had ignored not caring as to the why, all he knew is that it was an easy job. Yes, Fairy Tail members had a reputation as troublemakers, who always got into fist fights and caused chaos wherever they went, but they were clowns. These kids had never dealt with all the violence he had seen, and caused.

Every night Gajeel watched the girl he became more enraged at her. How could she be so stupid, so naive to walk the streets alone at night? Did she not have a clue of the evil that lurked in the dark of the city streets? He smirked at the question. No, the little girl had no clue that monsters like him existed. She had been sheltered, protected. The thought enraged him, and at the same time made him pity her. After all, he was strong, he wasn't scared of anything, he was the monster in the night and nothing worse than him lurked in the dark. That was true freedom. Yet, in the recesses of his brain, a voice laughed at him. It said Gajeel was nothing more than an idiot following an innocent girl in the night because he had been commanded, like a dog. The voice sounded like that of his father. No one had told Metalicana what to do. Metalicana would have never wasted his nights following a girl that had caused him no harm, and who wasn't a threat to anyone. Gajeel shook his head to dispel the voice, after all Metalicana was gone. He had just disappeared one night. His father had been rough, he had taught him how to fight, and was as cuddly as cold steel, but he had never been irresponsible. His father had loved him, that he knew. To this day Gajeel was trying to figure out what had happened, and every day that passed without news, the more convinced he became that his father had been killed. Metalicana had been a mechanic, but his garage had been a meeting place for a group of people who should have not been meeting together. Now that he looked back he figured that his father was a rebel, part of what was referred to as the insurgency. Fiore's politics had never interested him. He knew that people complained of oppression, corruption, injustice, that there was no freedom of speech, of religion, and a lack of basic human rights, but to Gajeel that was just what the world was - a cold place where only the strong survived. He didn't see, how having any of those things would change his life anyways. If he was going to break the law and get into trouble with the authorities, he might as well get some money out of it, and not simply due to some ridiculous ideal of a better world. His musings were cut short by his phone vibrating on his jacket. When he looked at the screen, he wasn't surprised to see Jose's number, but he was surprised to see the time. He had spent an hour just standing there lost in his own thoughts and staring at the girl's window. He really needed something to take off the edge, a fight, a robbery, a willing female sex partner, anything to get out of his own miserable thoughts. He ignored Jose's call and answered with a text that he was on his way. He knew he was violating the statewide curfew, but if he kept to the back alleyways and out of the main streets no cops would catch him. He turned around and headed toward Phantom Lord, where if he didn't find a fight, he could at least find alcohol.


	2. Chapter 2

Levy had the choreography down and she and her dance team had perfected it within the past two weeks. She made a mental note to thank Laxus next time she saw him. The night air was chilly, but it felt heavenly against her overheated face. She saw Droy and Jet waiting for her since they had decided to watch a movie together. She yelled at them and they both turned with big goofy grins. "Guys! You could have waited at the movies, no need to pick me up." She said cheerfully as she approached them. "We wanted to walk with you." said Droy as she stopped to give each a hug. "You guys are the best." She said as she placed herself in the middle and grabbed each of their arms. The three of them walked in unison as they talked and laughed along the way.

Gajeel cursed his luck. Of course Jose had to pick the night she was guarded by her lapdogs for the grab. Not that they would be a problem for him, but it was still three against one. Gajeel sighed and threw his cigarette away, the quicker he got this over with the quicker he could go back to somewhere warm and with liquor. He intersected them when they were crossing in front of a dark alleyway. The two men put up a better fight than he thought, but he was bigger, more experienced, and a lot meaner. The girl had also presented a tougher opponent than he thought. She had actually managed to hit him in the eye and when he covered her face she had bit him with enough force to make him bleed. When he had yanked his hand from her mouth she had started screaming "Fire! Fire! Help fire!" so loud he taught his eardrums would burst. He had had no choice but to knock her unconscious. His whole plan for a quick silent grab had been shot to hell. As he carried her like a sack of potatoes through backstreets and into a stolen car he realized he was bleeding. Apparently she had ripped one of his eyebrow piercings when she had hit him. Gajeel cursed with annoyance as the ripping of the piercing would probably leave yet another scar. He wasn't vain or foolish enough to think he had a face that wasn't suited for scars, but it still annoyed him that such a short girl, really the girl was like the size of a shrimp, had given him a scar.

Levy slowly came to her senses. At first she couldn't think beyond the massive pounding on her head, the taste of blood on her mouth, and the dizziness that had her on the verge of throwing up. When the world stopped spinning so fast and she became a little accustomed to the pounding on her head, the memories came in a rush that left her gasping for breath. The first thing she remembered were menacing red eyes in the dark. They seemed to shine with some sort of light. The man had been terrifying. As tall and strong looking as Laxus, but with such a crazed look to his eyes that Levy knew she would have nightmares with them for years to come. Then her memories turned to Jet and Droy and her eyes flew open, it was completely pitch black but she could tell she was in some sort of cell. "Jet! Droy! Please answer!" the hysteria in her voice made tears spring to her eyes. Immediately after she started screaming the door to the outside opened. The light was blinding and she could only see the silhouette of whoever had stepped into the room. "Oi, stop that damned screaming!" he said in a rather bored tone. The man crouched and Levy thought she would throw up. Red eyes stared at her, the previous crazed expression replaced by one of curiosity. "So, you're supposed to be the 'blue fairy' everyone keeps on talking about? If you are then we will make plenty of money turning you in." Levy's headache did not help with the confusion. "What's a blue fairy?" she asked in a hoarse voice. Levy knew she had a few bruised, if not broken, ribs which made the simple task of breathing difficult. The man shot his hand into the cage and grabbed her face. He seemed to assess her injuries and then just sighed. He released her and walked away, before exiting the door he turned and said "Your friends are not here so do yourself a favor and stop screaming." With that cryptic message he exited the room. Levy sobbed until she passed out once more.

Gajeel paced the room directly outside from the one where the holding cage was. The girl had been out for about three hours. He knew the two fools that had accompanied had probably woken up or had been found already. Jose had told him to stay until he received further orders, but something was bothering Gajeel. His brain was in overdrive; he knew the girl, he had met her before. He hadn't recognized her at first, but as her eyes watched him with terror and disgust it had jostled something deep in his memory. He had the nagging sensation that he had met her before, in his previous life as the son of Metalicana. How? When? And Why? Were questions that revolved around his brain but he couldn't answer. Did this mean that this girl might know something about his father's whereabouts? Something flickered in his chest, but he was too chicken to call it hope.

What in the world was a "blue fairy"? What did this giant want with her? Levy did a mental check of her injuries, they were pretty extensive. She had a headache, she could feel bruises and scratches on her face and arms, her ribs hurt, and breathing was difficult. She flexed her wrists and fingers, and moved her arms as much as her binding allowed her, rolled her shoulders and tried to feel whether her collarbones were broken, but didn't think so. The whole side she had been lying on when she woke up hurt, and she didn't doubt her captor had just thrown her on the floor. As she tried to stand her left knee gave out, which wasn't surprising. Ever since the car accident so many years ago, her knee had been a problem. She groaned and cursed her luck. Then she layed on her back, at least her hands were tied in front of her. It was obvious she didn't present a threat for whoever was in the next room. Long black hair, multiple piercings, strong angular features, young, red merciless eyes, over six feet, extremely muscular, tattoo on his shoulder, she was drawing a picture for when she got out. And she would get out, slipped inside the padding of her bra was a tracker, all of fairy tale members had one. Being part of the insurgency was dangerous, and they knew it. Over the years they had become experts at hiding the damned thing, the problem was that Droy and Jet were probably still down, not dead, she had to believe they were unconscious otherwise she would fall apart. It was a Friday night, so no one would be worried until they woke up from their hangovers tomorrow, which meant she had around twelve hours she had to survive through. The tattoo! She sat up so fast she lost sight for awhile, it was the Phantom Lord insignia, it's leader Jose Porla, was listed as an Acnologia supporter, and Porla's right hand was a man nicknamed _Kurogane_ \- black steel. A nickname earned because of his long black hair, red eyes, and because his fists were rumored to be made out of steel. She knew that they were made out of flesh and bone, but they had hit her so hard they might as well have been made out of black steel. She now who her captors were, which meant she had more information regarding her predicament, and was now thanks to all that information even more afraid than she had been before.

Two more hours had passed and the girl hadn't made a single sound. Gajeel wasn't any closer to remembering who she was or how he had actually met her before. He guessed he had to check out whether she was still breathing. Jose would be furious if she died under his watch. To his surprise she was sitting with her back against the wall and her head over her bent knees. She seemed to be sleeping in that position, not passed out but peacefully sleeping. Her lack of fear, the fact that she hadn't even jumped when he entered the room angered him more than he cared to admit. He kicked the bars, and she raised her head slowly and looked at him with annoyance. "Well you seem comfy." He sneered at her showing off his canines, his manic grin made grown man run for their lives, but Levy McGarden only raised an eyebrow and said in a haughty tone "Not really, your dungeon could use some remodeling Kurogane." Gajeel twitched at the use of the nickname, he hated that name. Kurogane was the name of his father's favorite motorcycle. One night a few years ago when he had been drunk he had told some idiots about it and when they had found out it meant black steel, they had started calling him that. How she knew who he was was a mystery, but if she truly was the blue fairy and was such a key part of the insurgency then it wasn't such a surprise that she knew of him, and it's not like he was trying to hide his identity from her. Being part of Phantom Lord gave him liberty to cause as much havoc as he wanted as long as it helped Acnologia's reign. "I'm sure you think you're extremely clever, don't you shrimp?" He said as he lowered to his haunches and they were eye to eye. The nickname seemed to confuse her, she cleared her throat and said in a voice dripping with contempt " _Shrimp?_ Is that really your best insult?" Her haughtiness made him want to take her down a notch or two. "Now don't sulk, shortstack, you wanted to play at the revolutionary game and this is what happens to rebels. You should have just led a normal and tranquil life. After all it's obvious you weren't made out to change anything." She eyed him for a while her expression impassive and Gajeel had the feeling that she was very good at poker. "So, you kidnapping me and beating me up is my fault?" She said the question slowly and evenly, enunciating every word like if he was an idiot. "It most definitely is, after all no one told you to go around hacking into systems you have no business prying into." He had said the statement nonchalantly waiting and wanting some sort of reaction from her, but her poker face remained in place. She tilted her head to the side in a graceful manner and he could feel her eyes roaming all over his features, squinting and trying to see his features in the dim light that came in from the next room. He had a feeling she was trying to decide something, and then in a cool and controlled voice she said "Well, let me guess. You were always encouraged by everyone to speak your mind, to be fearless, to fight. Your father and his friends always taught you to be the hero of the story, never the victim, because weakness is something to be rejected as unmanly. Before you say they never said it straight out, well they didn't have to. Let's just go through the following scenarios: You were scared of climbing a tree, or something tall. What was your caretakers response? Did he tell you it was ok to be afraid, to be rational and not jump? No he didn't, he/she told you to suck it up, to be a big boy, forget your fear and jump. And if you fell, what did they say, something along the lines that you needed to learn how to land when you fell, or to be more careful in calculating the distance, or better yet to practice because a true man wouldn't have fallen, is it sounding familiar? Scenario number two: someone took your toy or was rude or mean, you were taught one of two scenarios: either to first be peaceful, try to find a solution without throwing the first punch, but if the other party hit you to hit back, right? Actually judging from your despicable behavior it was probably to just to hit first and not stop until the other party learned his or her lesson, better yet for you to be one to take others' things. Your poker face is not that good Kurogane, I'm freaking you out aren't I, it's almost as if I had been there throughout your childhood. Now let me tell you about mine and most girls' childhoods, you see we are taught not to be wild, not to be rebellious, not to fight, hell not even to handle our own problems, because you see "black steel" in order for you to be a hero or a villain, you need a damsel, and that's what society makes sure we are just so we can soothe your oversized fragile ego. I was never taught to be adventurous or strong, in every jump I make all I hear are the multiple adult voices that always told me to be careful, to not jump, to not get hurt because after all no one likes a girl with scars, because after all we are not humans, but dolls, and no one wants a broken doll. So no Kurogane this is not on me, this is on you and your guild. For you to tell me that it's my fault that I am in this predicament, because in your eyes I am weak, is not only hypocritical it is repugnant. Oh, I'm sorry was that last word too fancy for you? Should I define it?" She sneered, her voice is acid, dripping with rage and disgust and if she wasn't so well educated he was pretty sure she would have spat on him. Her voice didn't tremble in fear, the tremor in it was pure rage. Even though she was sitting and had to look up to look at him, it was as if she was actually looking down on him, seeing right through him with that piercing gaze of hers. "Why the silence?" Her voice was mocking and cold. "Cat got your tongue? Is this not how it was supposed to go? Should I be crying and quaking in fear? Is that what floats your boat a crying, whimpering victim? Is that how you get through it, by telling yourself is your victim's fault for not being strong, or for not being on your side, well what is it Kuro…"

"ENOUGH!" The shout escaped before he could hold it back. He stood up, opened the bars of the cell, knelt down and grabbed her face. He could tell she was steeling herself not to flinch or cower at his touch. When he grabbed her face she sneered at him and the movement resplit her swollen lips which started bleeding. The sight of her bloody teeth made him for the first time in a long time ashamed, and he knew the memory would haunt him. After a while he felt her whole body start to tremble, and didn't know if her bravado was beginning to crack or if she was strumming with anger. He got up and walked out of her holding cell. As he stepped out of her sight, he could hear her throw up, followed by dry heaves that were so violent that they rocked his own body. He hurried down the corridor, out of the basement and into the alleyway where he took deep gulps of cold air and tried to get his breathing under control. His gut twisting with feelings he thought he had lost, guilt, shame, and regret.

The man's outburst took Levy by surprise, she was trying to goad him, but didn't really believe her somewhat unhinged and irrelevant feminist rant would have had much effect on someone with the rumored characteristics of _Kurogane_. He hated that nickname, it was obvious in the way his tense frame seemed to strain even more whenever she would say it, a slight twitch in his eye gave him away. Maybe she could use that to get his real name. Nothing guaranteed that knowing that tidbit of information would help her, but it was her deepest most entrenched belief that all knowledge and information was power. The saying "ignorance is bliss" grated on every single one of her nerves and made her cringe with indignation. In her eyes, those who chose ignorance were cowards who did not want to take action, or were so fragile they could not withstand the possibility of being wrong. Lucy often criticized her for this black and white view of the world and people, but Levy couldn't help it. She shaked her head, now was not the time to psychoanalyze herself. Kurogane was back, she could hear his heavy boots on the concrete of what she imagined was the larger room of a warehouse or some other generic industrial building. This time when the man came in he was holding something in his hands. He opened the cell door and Levy scooted as far back as the solid concrete wall would let her. She was still sitting wanting to let her knee rest in case she could make a run for it, even though the way it was hurting it would be a miracle if she could take ten steps before it gave out on her. He placed the object in front of her, and Levy realized it was a First Aid kit. When she looked up she was taken aback by the man's proximity he was crouching and his face was thrusted forward, his arms folded over his knees. He was staring at her as if he was trying to commit her face to memory, or maybe he was trying to recall one. Levy took a deep breath and told herself not to flinch, she also used the moment to study her captor's features. His eyes were red it had not been a trick of her imagination, his features were sharp almost aristocratic a thin nose, small eyes, thin lips but a pretty large mouth, his eyebrows were dark and thick, and lined with piercings, except for one spot where he had placed a small butterfly band aid. That had been the piercing she had ripped, and it would leave a scar, but he already had several. He had a nasty looking one going from his right ear to almost the middle of his cheek. He had more piercing alongside his nose and two under his bottom lip. But what struck Levy was that despite the piercings, the scars, and strong sharp features, he looked young a lot younger than she had first thought. He was either Laxus' age if not younger she couldn't peg him as more than 25. His tan skin was smooth and unlined, and the stubble on his cheeks and jaw was not thick, even though he had long full black hair which he had tied back with a leather strap. She immediately wished she had a pink scrunchie to offer him, and knew that whenever she was feeling suicidal she would ask him if he would let her braid his long and thick hair. The thought made her giggle to herself, and in the back of her mind she knew she was losing her mind due to trauma and lack of sleep. At the sound of her laugh the large man scowled and raised an eyebrow, and expression that was so normal and non threatening that Levy's giggles turned into uncontrollable laughter. The man sighed, "You're losing your damn mind shortie." He said as he opened the First Aid kit and started tending to the wounds on her face with brusque efficiency that told her he was used to tending wounds. Once he finished with her face, he took his pocket knife and cut the rope that tied her hands, and without a word tended to the rope burn on her wrists. For some reason the gesture left her feeling defeated, she was such a small threat to him that he didn't see any danger in untying her even though there was a knife she could have tried to reach for. She concentrated on his hands, they were huge and completely dwarfed hers, they were calloused and hard. She thought they felt like the hands of a mechanic, like the hands of Metalicana. The thought hit her like a bucket of ice water, and she gasped. "Don't be a baby the wounds on your face were worse. Now lift your shirt, you've been babying your left side, I just want to feel for any broken ribs." He said, confusing her surprised gasp for a pain induced one. Levy looked at her bandaged wrists and tried to process all the information that was presently flooding her tired and stressed brain. He, Metalicana's son, wanted her to lift her shirt for him to show him the wounds he had caused.

She was looking at him like he had three heads and he was trying not to lose his patience, but he was tired and wanted to sleep. "Oi, lift your damn shirt! I'm not going to do anything perverted to you." He was irritated and his brain was still in overdrive trying to figure out why this slip of a girl was making old emotions resurface. She continued to stare at him, with surprise, then confusion, and finally incredulity. The rapid change of expressions was comical, but when the cycle started for a third time he lost his patience and lifted her shirt the large purple bruise on her rib cage shamed him. "What are you doing?" she shrieked indignantly and tried to pull the t-shirt from his grasp, but he wasn't done inspecting her bruise. He placed his other hand on her ribs and tried to feel her ribs, at his touch she hissed in pain. Her skin was freezing cold and he then realized that the small girl was probably cold. He expertly and, to his surprise, gently touched her ribs. "Take a deep breath." He said in a low tone, and she cooperated and whimpered softly in pain. Gajeel could feel the bones moving solidly beneath her skin. "I don't think they're broken, but don't lie on that side." He got up and walked out of the cell, closing the cell door behind him more as an afterthought. He came back holding blankets that he threw on the floor next to her. She has still been sitting her eyes closed and her breathing even. When the blankets fell next to her, she slowly opened her eyes. "Thank you," she said in a small voice and as he was passing through the cell doors she said in a clear voice "I'm sure Metalicana would be proud of how well his son treats captured rebels."


End file.
